Children's Literature

(3 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

In this course we will examine a range of works that have been read by children. These include works like fables, folk and fairy tales, which are meant for both adults and children, and works written primarily with a child audience in mind (though almost always with a "dual address" which simultaneously acknowledges the adult as a potential reader and purchaser of the work). Though often assumed to be simple, works written for children often demonstrate considerable complexity, both in terms of their plots, and in terms of the moral and ethical questions they raise. In addition to dealing with complex issues, children's literature is a key site for transmitting cultural and social values. By reading children's literature critically, we can learn much about ourselves, our society and our culture; but by reading children's literature from other places and other times we can also understand the cultural values, attitudes and behaviors of other cultures, which can in turn expose the limitations and benefits of our own structures of thinking.